Electric railway-switch



(No Model.)

R. A. BALDWIN.

- ELECTRIC RAILWAY SWITGH.

No. 536,256. Patented1MM. 2'6, 1895.

WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT- OFFICE.

ROLLIN A. BALDWIN, OIF SOUTH NORWALK, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE FITCH-EXCELSIOR SWITCH COMPANY, OF NEW JERSEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of LetterS Patent No. 536,256, dated March 26,1895. Application tiled October 24, 1893. Serial No. 488,993. (No model.)

matically upon the approach of a car or train,

and its object is to provide simple and positive acting devices which are not liable to become deranged. I

The invention consists of thedetails of con struction which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanyingdrawings: Figure l-is a plan of a section ofV road bed adjacent to a switch, showing the device constituting my invention in dotted lines. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional elevationsof the switch mechanism viewed from the opposite sides of a central plane, and Fig. 4 is a'detail.

The railway track is represented by the letter A and the switch point by the letter a.

The function of my invention is to move this switch point whenever it is desired to do so. The apparatus for accomplishing this is located in a box B which is buried in the road bed and arranged preferably beneath the rails. The box is divided into two compartments by a vertical transverse partition b, the

compartments being respectively lettered c and d. The compartment c contains a cross piece or frame e which supports two studs -f and f', upon which are hung a gear and pinion g and g meshing with each other. Upon the gear stud f, and located'on the opposite side of the frame e, is a ratchet wheel h. In

the upper part of the box is located a recipro` are loose pivots and the pivot on the gear is eccentric thereto, so that the gear acts as a crank which, when it rotates, wil-l cause the reciprocation of the bar/L'.

In the compartment d is located an electro magnet J, the armature of which is a block of.

iron j carried on the end of a thrust rod j. The latter passes through the partition b and extends alongside the frame e in the same plane with the ratchet wheel h. The end of the thrust rod j is formed into a hook jz, which is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet Wheel h when the rod'is pulled toward the magnet. The armature is further supported upon a pivoted arm lo, which serves to balance it and render its operation smooth.

The opening in the partition b, through which the rod passes, may be slightly elongated to permit of a vertical movement of the thrust rod when it is reciprocated. The rod is provided with a collar Z, between which and the i the thrust rod toward the magnet.

The electro'rnagnet may be placed in a local circuit and controlled either by hand or au; tomatically if desired, but as my apparatus is particularly designed for electric railways wherein it is customary to use the 'rails for the return current, I contemplate connecting thev magnet in the return circuit in the manner shown in Fig. 1. The wire 17in Fig. 1, is a bond wire with which the rails connect at various points to insure a good return conductor.

-Adjacent to the switch I insulate a short section of the rails by interposing non-conducting material as indicated at p. I then run a wire 2 from this insulated section throughmagnet J and then to the conductor I. Thus, when the car propelled by an electric motor passes on to the insulated section of rails the return current from the motor ows through the magnet. The magnet thus becomingenergized ICO attracts the armature] and pulls the thrust rod j toward itself. Hook jz being in engagement with the ratchet wheel h, the latter is rotated through a space of about one tooth which, as here constructed, is one sixth of a revolution. This movement is imparted to the gearing g g which is so constructed as to cause a half revolution ofthe pinion g. Such a movement of the pinion forces the reciprocating bar t' outward to the end of its stroke and thus alters the position of the switch point a. As soon as the magnet becomes decnergized by the car passing oft the insulated section of rails the coiled spring q carries the thrust rod j back to its normal position, as shown in Fig. 3. At the next operation of the apparatus the switch point will be thrown to the opposite position, because the pinion g completes the other half of its revolution.

At the end of each forward stroke of the thrust rod j the brake o comes in contact with the gear g and prevents any rebounding or reaction of the parts. This has been found to be necessary because the magnet acts very quickly and strong and the switch point is likely to vibrate slightly when it is thrown to the end of its stroke unless something in the nature of a brake is provided to prevent this.

The mechanism being entirely isolated from the switch point, and being well covered, is not subject to derangement by dirt falling into it. In fact the mechanism is such that it is quite unlikely to become clogged or inoperative.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In an electric railway switch, the combination of a single electro-magnet, a vibrating switch point, a reciprocating rod attached to the switch point, a thrust rod moved in one direction by the magnet and connections whereby the movement imparted to the thrust rod by the magnet will cause the reciprocation of the said reciprocating rod in either direction.

2. In an electric railway switch, the combination of an electro magnet, a reciprocating thrust rod operated thereby, a ratchet Wheel adapted to he turned by said thrust rod, gearing connected with said ratchet wheel, a reciprocating bar moved by said gearing, and a switch point connected with said bar, sub stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I subscribe my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROLLIN A. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

FRANK S. OBER, C. V. EDWARDS. 

